Talk about tarot goals! Partygoers at a Bushwick rooftop gathering were inspired this weekend by Tara Whitman, an amateur tarot reader who bravely persevered in her goal to read the tarot cards of guests who openly did not want her to – and she’s willing to do the same for you, whether you like it or not.
“It was honestly kind of amazing,” states one partygoer who wishes to remain anonymous. “I kept saying ‘no thanks’ but she wouldn’t give up, even when we said we were leaving.”
“I was practically begging her to put the tarot cards away,” says party host Jamie Robinson. “But she didn’t let that stop her. She really, really didn’t.”
According to her friends, Tara began reading tarot cards a month ago after receiving a mermaid-themed deck for her 25th birthday. She has since carried the pack with her to all social gatherings, including a dental appointment and weekly hikes with her partner, Ezekiel.
“She’s a natural,” Ezekiel says. “People are always asking me if it’s hard to be on the sidelines, but it’s honestly an honor just to watch a great artist at work.”
Tara reportedly waited only four minutes after her arrival before removing the tarot deck from her canvas tote bag. She was then approached by two guests who explicitly asked for readings. However, Tara’s zeal for giving tarot readings only intensified after she had finished with the voluntary participants.
“It was clear she wasn’t going to stop,” says Mariah, 27, a yoga instructor who reads tarot herself. “There was this fire in her eyes. I recognized the passion; I’ve felt it myself. But to see it in someone else’s face…wow. It’s so beautiful what humans are capable of.”
“I pretty much immediately moved away from her,” says another guest, Corinne Joy. “But she followed me to the corner of the roof. There was no escape. I told her I don’t like having my tarot read, but she said it would be clarifying for me. There was nothing I could do. I wouldn’t say I was scared, but I definitely didn’t feel safe.”
Now, though, Corinne recognizes the significance of Tara’s determination.
“It takes a strong woman to do what Tara did,” she says. “To follow your dream despite what the world around you might be saying? That’s a beautiful thing.”
